Once upon a time...... In a galaxy far away....... A shot rang out.................. Then a woman screamed......... The bad clichés stopped............... And all was well....................................
INTRODUCING BUCKY AND BOB....................

2512 Onboard Serenity (Written by Blake and Jena)

"You don't talk much, do ya?" He turned around in the chair, having been onboard Serenity one full week and noticed that the first female on board spoke less words to him than the Captain. Seeing how the Captain liked to talk to at least give orders, that feat took some, but not a lot, of doing. Unnerving for a human being to be that quiet, to say the least. Hoban Washburne reached up to twist the left end of his moustache and looked at the rather tall, rather stoic Amazon woman who was coming, and probably going, on his bridge. Wash was trying to make it his bridge. The first order of business was to put 'Bucky' and 'Bob' up on the dash where he could force one or the other to eat the fellow companions tail at will. Then there was the yo-yo that he displayed on the wall. An honest to god wooden yo-yo. The ancient string had long been decayed and worn away but the hull and body of the toy was still in tack. There were other odds and ends he put up: Like a proud display case for the young-at-heart, he was rather fond of how much he had already made Serenity feel like home. This job had potential to last for a while so Wash did all he could to nail his feet to the floor. Zoe paused as she crossed the room, looking over her shoulder at the highly annoying little man that Mal had chosen for a pilot. This "Wash" seemed to have a complete disregard for rules, regulations or anything that meant getting a serious day's work done. She still didn't understand why Mal had hired the man, and suspected he'd be like to run off with some floozy the first time they set down where a bit of tail was available. It wasn't like the war...nothing these days was, which was a good thing in some way she supposed. She continued on her way, pushing back the cover to one of the panels. "All depends on if there's somethin' worth the saying." While she didn't look at him at all, not even for an annoyed glance, Wash found small victory in the fact that she actually was responding. It wasn't the best conversation in the world, but he didn't mind the view that presented itself. "I don't suppose you could help me out some? Give a little hint? Callin' card?" Perhaps trying too hard, as was his way, Wash added, "Send up an emergency flare?" She reached into the panel, trying to trace the wire that attached to the comm system she'd been messing with below. Something had blown and such repairs were not her forte, but she was managing until they got an honest to God mechanic for this death trap. The comment from behind her actually turned Zoe's attention and she looked over her shoulder, even as she continued fishing for the wire. One elegant eyebrow arched. "Generally try ta save those fer emergencies." The wire slipped and she pushed her fingers a little deeper, she could feel...a jolt as electricity crossed the conduit created by her skin and jarred her hand. Zoe jerked back, pulling her fingers free and cussing freely. "Gotcha, didn't it?" He would have rose to his feet to help, but this woman had made it obvious from the start that she was a one-person show. Some people liked to be helped and others would sooner kill you than accept it. Amazon was the non-accepting kind. "Kinda rattled your teeth while givin' a nice tingle, all at the same time? Right?" "Goram wiring." Zoe hissed the words between her teeth, shaking her hand to try to clear the numbing tingle from her fingers. She really wanted to give the whole ship a kick. It'd been nothing but repairs and getting shocked every two or three repair attempts. As she was recovering she caught sight of the dinosaurs and gave a little headshake. "Those make the flying less bumpy?" She didn't know why she bothered, it wasn't like conversation had ever been that important to her. Sometimes with close friends, but there were lots less of those these days. Not missing a beat, Wash took the open invitation, "They make the decisions when things get rough." Reaching forward, he patted the head of the T-Rex. "Isn't that right Bucky?" The affection was obvious and his fingers stroked the plastic vintage toy, "Yes. She is a little bit of a stiff, she is." As if Zoe couldn't hear him, Wash lowered his voice to talk to the dinosaur but was looking up at her, "But you know it's not polite to talk about folk like that. Take it back now. Bucky. NOOoooooOOO. Be a gentlemen like, and take it back." Bit of a stiff...as though conjured by the words themselves her back straightened slightly, the comment inwardly irking her. She didn't see herself as a stiff, there was just a lot to get done and she was committed to getting it done. Efficiently even. Zoe gave her fingers another shake before looking at the panel again. "Apparently they need socializing." "Great idea!" Wash leaned back and crossed his arms, looking right up at the captivating creature that was not plastic. "Be my guest." He expected 'her' to interact with the plastic playthings. The very thought brought a shake of her head, curls slipping across the leather of her vest with a whisper of sound. "Don' know that I speak plasticese." Zoe wasn't sure it was a word, but said it anyway, her tone even and very slightly deadpan. As annoying as he was she had to admit he wasn't entirely hard on the eyes. Might be his only positive trait considering everything else. Quick to counter, Wash informed, "Go ahead and give it a try. You talk to them near the same as you talk to me." Leaning in, giving Bob's tail and once over with his finger, a means to pet the toys, the recently hired pilot added, "Just keep in mind: They're smaller. That's all." Zoe tilted her head to the side eyeing both the toys and the man that almost seemed to hide behind them. "That requires the assumin' 'f how I talk ta you, don't it?" The words weren't unkind, Zoe tried to keep from unkindness, she just didn't understand what the man got out of playing with the things. "So how much they know 'bout pilotin'?" "Taught me everythin' I know." Wash leaned back up, glad that Bucky and Bob were earning their living today. "How to turn on the ignition key," he joked, for that technology was more antiquated than Serenity herself, "Stick my arm out the window if I'm makin' a right hand turn." Taking her in, going for the gusto, he complimented, "You know, you're rather nice when you talk." A glance down to his support team, he said to the plastic pair, "Who woulda thunk that was a hidin' under all that brass?" The compliment came enough out of left field that it caught Zoe by surprise. Gunfire and fists and insults she knew exactly how to handle, even being hit on was usually nothing of a challenge, but this man came at it with such an easy cheer that it was disconcerting. She raised both eyebrows before pulling the panel open again, this time just taking it right off the hinges so she had some chance of being able to see the goram wire she was trying to trace. "Rumor has it I can be. Though I try na ta put too much stock in rumors. Might disappoint at any moment." He smiled. Wash got her to talk which in itself was a major victory. He had been paying close attention and watched her with the others that Captain Malcolm Reynolds had hired aboard this boat. Zoe didn't talk to anyone casually unless she had to. It was a battle win among battle wins and he was satisfied with that. For now. "We don't want that now, do we?" Leaning back in his chair, when her back was turned to him, Wash offered a secret wink to his mini-dynamic duo. "I suppose I outta let ya back to work; enough of my tom foolery and all." For now. He'd give her a break for now.

~~~fini~~~

Zoë Warren-(Written for by ZoeIWarren) First Mate
and
Hoban Washburne-(Written for by HobanIWashburne) Pilot